Cracking Open A Linksys Desktop Switch

The Linksys EtherFast EZXS55W Switch

The Linksys EtherFast EZXS55W switch features five 10/100 auto-sensing ports with both half and full duplex modes. This model also features a dedicated Uplink port for connecting the device to other switches or similar network devices.
Since each port is independently switched at up to 100 Mbps, full 200 Mbps bandwidth performance is possible when the device operates in full duplex mode. Both network cables and connected network adapters must support these higher speeds to achieve the maximum bandwidth.

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EZXS55W Front View

Numerous LED indicators display the desktop switch's status. A green LED (to the bottom left) lights when the unit has power. Link, collision and 100 Mbps indicators also appear for each port.

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EZXS55W Rear View

The Linksys EZXS55W includes five 10/100 ports, shown here, and an Uplink port. The unit's power port, toward the far right, is also located on the rear panel.

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EZXS55W Bottom View

Four rubber feet help keep the desktop switch in place. That said, in my experience, zip ties or another object are often needed to keep small desktop switches in place, as the weight of four or five Ethernet cables can often pull the lightweight device out of position.

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AC Adapter

The Linksys desktop switch is powered by this ITE-manufactured power supply. This model converts AC wall electricity to 7.5-volt DC current.

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Uplink Port

The EZXS55W's Uplink port is the last Ethernet port on the right. When an Ethernet cable is plugged into this port, the port next door (port number 5) is disabled. This is because the Uplink port is a shared port.
The Uplink port was provided for connecting another network switch or similar device straight-through using category 5 cabling, thereby eliminating the need for a cross-over cable.

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Tamper Tape

Breaking this tamper-proof tape voids the unit's warranty. However, the action is necessary to disassemble this model.

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Separating The Two Covers

Two plastic covers, front and back pieces, compose the switch's simple shell. To separate them, forceful pressure must be supplied where the two shells meet, as shown here.

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Cover Separation

With the two plastic halves separated, the two shells can be pulled apart.

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View Inside The Front Cover

Here's a look inside the molded plastic front cover shell. All the circular cut-outs accommodate the device's LED status indicators.

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View Inside The Switch

With the front cover removed, the green sysem board is visible. Prominent up front in this image are the LED status indicators. To their right you can make out the black heat sink that sits atop the device's switch controller microchip.

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Main Board Removal

With the plastic front cover removed, the main system board slides out of the rear shell.

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The EZXS55W Main System Board

This is where all the action is. The Linksys mainboard does all the work routing network packets between ports.

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Capacitor Collection

The main board relies upon several capacitors, several shown here in a close-up, to deliver bursts of energy when and where needed.

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More Capacitors

Some half-dozen of the silver-topped, black-ringed metallic cylinders are located on this main board. Most all of the capacitors on this board are miniature radial electrolytic capacitors manufactured by Stone.

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Heat Sink

Here's a close-up of the heat sink that cools the Ethernet switch controller chip. That chip is positioned immediately below the heat sink. We'll take a closer look at it in a moment.

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Heat Sink Removed

The heat sink is approximately the size of a Lego block. Here it is pictured along side a standard pen for size comparison.

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IC Plus Corp. Chip

With the heat sink removed, the integrated switching chip is revealed. According to IC Plus' technical documentation, the IP175C chip integrates switch controller, SSRAM and Ethernet transceivers, each of which complies with the IEEE 803.3, IEEE 802.3u and IEEE 802.3x specifications. The chip supports flow control, auto MDI (which helps manage uplink operations) and bandwidth control, among other functions.

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Bothhand USA Electronics

The black rectangular chip to the far left (16PT8520X) is a Bothhand USA 10/100 Base-T transformer. It helps power 10/100 Mbps data transmission.
To the right are two Bothhand USA 20PT1024X 10/100 Base-TX LAN Magnetics for Auto MDI/MDIX Application, according to the manufacturer's data sheet. In other words, these chips help provide the switch's autosensing network functionality.

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Main System Board Backside View

The back of the main board carries model information. This unit is model number GEB1040.

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View Inside The Rear Cover

With the main board removed, the rear cover is empty. In this image you can just make out the top cover vent holes that help the unit operate within an acceptable temperature range.

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The EZXS55W Disassembled

Here are all the components that compose the Linksys EtherFast EZXS55W desktop switch.

Main Board Removal

With the plastic front cover removed, the main system board slides out of the rear shell.

Photos by Erik Eckel for TechRepublic.com

About Erik Eckel

Erik Eckel owns and operates two technology companies. As a managing partner with Louisville Geek, he works daily as an IT consultant to assist small businesses in overcoming technology challenges and maximizing IT investments. He is also president o...

Full Bio

Erik Eckel owns and operates two technology companies. As a managing partner with Louisville Geek, he works daily as an IT consultant to assist small businesses in overcoming technology challenges and maximizing IT investments. He is also president of Eckel Media Corp., a communications company specializing in public relations and technical authoring projects.